There is an unspoken ritual that the Maple Leafs have whenever it is time to zoom off on a charter to an NHL rink near you.

It seems that when it comes time for players to depart the team bus at the airport, many of the veterans like to pour off first in order to be at the front of the line when dealing with the customs agents.

Morgan Rielly, just 19, is respectful of this. And, because of that, he has earned as much respect from his teammates off the ice as he has on it.

“Morgan usually is at the front of the bus,” defenceman Cody Franson explained on Thursday. “But the moment he sees someone like Orrsie (Colton Orr) get up so he can get off the bus fast to be one of the first to customs, Morgan will sit down and let the veterans go first.

“That’s Mo. He’s very humble. He listens and learns. And guys appreciate that.

“He’s going to do fine up here.”

Obviously, the Maple Leafs brass thinks so too.

Prior to practice on Thursday, general manager Dave Nonis let Rielly know that, telling the kid that he would be sticking with the Maple Leafs rather than be sent back to junior.

In the end, it wasn’t just the right choice. It was the only choice. And management is shrewd enough to know it.

From a skill standpoint, there is a cache of teenagers like Rielly who emerge every season with enough natural talent to at least hold their own against the bigger, faster more experienced players of the NHL.

But coping with the spotlight at such a young age isn’t always as easy.

Just ask Brampton’s Tyler Seguin. Drafted second overall in 2010, Seguin, despite helping the Boston Bruins win a Stanley Cup in 2011, was dealt to the Dallas Stars this past summer while mired in rumours of off-ice partying tendencies.

We forget sometimes just how young some of these kids are. Remember what you were doing at 18 or 19? Or did you destroy so many brain cells enjoying life to its fullest at the time that the memories are, um, blurry, kind of like your eye sight back then?

Talk to the Leafs, however, and they rave about how Rielly is mature well beyond his years.

Look at the way he has handled himself since arriving at training camp. Almost every day for the past six weeks, he has been asked for his self-analysis on his bid to remain with the parent club.

He could have been flustered. Or, he could have gone the other way and become cocky. Neither happened. Instead, he was always cool, composed and said all the right things - “I’m doing my best, I’ll respect the team’s decisions” - things a seasoned veteran would say.

Finally, on Thursday, he allowed himself to become emotional. He earned that right, just like he’s earned the right to stay with the Leafs.

“It’s a pretty good feeling,” Rielly said. “I was pretty excited when they told me.”

At that point in the interview, down-to-earth Rielly re-appeared.

“I have a lot left to prove,” he said. “I have to keep working hard and keep getting better.”

According to the CBA, junior-eligible players can play only nine games in the NHL before a year is knocked off their entry-level contract. Game 10 for Rielly would have been Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the Leafs brass obviously felt their choice already was made.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Rielly, who has been impressive en route to notching four assists thus far, will spend the entire season with the Leafs.

“We’re not guaranteeing that the player’s going to be here for the rest of the year, because the 10-game barrier is gone,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “The option of him going to the AHL is not available to us, so he’s either going to play with us or go to junior.

“We see his game developing and we think he can play in the NHL right now. But he is 19 years old. The games are going to get tougher.”

The Leafs feel that, at this point, he can learn more from an NHL coaching staff than a junior one. Good call.

Now, the immediate goal is for Rielly to get a roommate.

“I don’t want to live with any old guys,” Rielly said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Whatever happens, the Leafs will ensure that Rielly makes the right choice.

Just like the organization made the right choice in keeping the kid at the NHL level.

Maple Leafs made right decision keeping Morgan Rielly in NHL

There is an unspoken ritual that the Maple Leafs have whenever it is time to zoom off on a charter to an NHL rink near you.

It seems that when it comes time for players to depart the team bus at the airport, many of the veterans like to pour off first in order to be at the front of the line when dealing with the customs agents.

Morgan Rielly, just 19, is respectful of this. And, because of that, he has earned as much respect from his teammates off the ice as he has on it.

“Morgan usually is at the front of the bus,” defenceman Cody Franson explained on Thursday. “But the moment he sees someone like Orrsie (Colton Orr) get up so he can get off the bus fast to be one of the first to customs, Morgan will sit down and let the veterans go first.

“That’s Mo. He’s very humble. He listens and learns. And guys appreciate that.